There are times that I feel like I don't understand money at all. We seem to be getting along just fine--I work very hard to spend only my $100 on groceries, I avoid the running store, and I keep my wallet far away from the computer. I avoid temptation and if I get the feeling that I absolutely need to spend money, I'll take $5 to Goodwill and decide between a piece of clothing or a few dishes.
If I have to spend large amounts of money, I have to work myself up to it. We've bought two new cars in the past year. Two. I have a difficult time thinking that we spend more per month on car payments than I did on my first apartment, but I definitely appreciate the fuel efficiency and the peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly what has happened to our cars for every day of their lives.
When my mother came to visit after I had T-rex (the baby that thinks growling and snarling are hilarious), she took me on a shopping spree at a running store. I don't see her very often (living across the country will do that) and she works her behind off writing grants for people who want government money to do their studies. I shouldn't feel lightheaded and have to sit down when she pulls out cash to fund my addiction, but I do. I ended up sitting on a chair with my head between my legs until I came to terms with her generosity.
The thing is, I know how much I love spoiling other people. I took a deep breath, told her how difficult it was for me to accept it, but that I very much appreciated her gift. I also requested that she not purchase anything else while she was visiting.
I don't know if it's that I'm afraid that I'll become spoiled and take it for granted that she'll buy whatever I want. I want to see her as just my mother, not as a walking present factory. I think I tend to go so far the other way that I avoid accepting presents so that there's no chance of me seeing her like that.
Ah well.
Now it's tax return time and we've discussed where and how most of it will be spent. We are very fortunate that the Army wants to keep my DM*. Most of it is being spent on paying down our debt, but we've set aside some money just for fun for each of us. DM is planning on getting some archery equipment, I was planning on getting ultrarunning gear, gardening supplies, a new camera, presents for people...I hadn't really decided. The Kid wants to have a way to film the adventures and stories that she and her friends make up, so she was talking about getting a charger for our camcorder (I know the original is around here somewhere...) and then saving the rest for the cat she's planning on adopting when we move.
The problem is, I just found out that getting my wisdom teeth extracted is not going to be entirely covered by our insurance. The money that we have set aside for fun is looking like a very tempting way to take care of a large portion of what's left over. The question becomes: do I tamp down my queasy feelings at spending money on things I want, trust that we'll find a way to pay for the dentist, and spend it on fun stuff -or- do I accept that I'm going to make do with what I have (which would be fine) and spend the 'extra' money on saving my mouth?
I feel strange even writing this; there are so many people who don't have enough to eat and I'm trying to decide whether I really need a hydration pack or if my waist bottles will do.
*DM: Dungeon Master: "[T]he game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Master
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
I lack sticktoitiveness.
Written some time in March:
This is going to be a way for me to keep myself motivated and running!
This is going to be a way for me to keep myself motivated and running!
I'm in week 16 of my pregnancy, and plan on running through my whole pregnancy.
I'm even more excited that my daughter is beginning to train for her first 5k, and we're both working to get into shape for a 5 day hike on the AT in Georgia.
Thursday: (2 miles) I ran the first mile and most of the second. Plan to run more with the kid and possibly hike a new trail today.
And that is the last post I did for a long time.
It's now mid January and I'm attempting to start back up again. I'm not sure what I hope to accomplish with this, but I know I'd like to just...do it. So, here goes.
Quick overview of pregnancy running:
There were times it was less pleasant than I'd have liked. I had to walk a lot and I was always worried that something was going to be wrong with the baby. I feel more comfortable admitting this now that TJ is here, but I was worried more that people would blame my running than I was that she would be affected. People who know me are aware of my feelings toward babies. I think they are relatively boring, but are a necessary step toward getting to be a mom of a kid. This is becoming a tangent. Note to self: continue the baby rant on another post.
C'mon...focus. I ran a bunch of races while I was pregnant and I mostly loved them. When we moved to Ohio, I joined the local running club and started participating in as many of their races as I could. When I got pregnant, I decided to sign up for the 401k challenge (run 401 kilometers on trails in a year) and attempt to finish it before TJ arrived so we could both get credit for it. Spoiler: we totally made it.
If I run again in the next pregnancy, I'm going to make a much larger deal of it. I'm not usually a big attention seeker, but when I'm pregnant running, I got so much support and encouragement that it made the mild discomfort and the decreased bladder size worth it.
The major races I logged were:
Xenia 1/2 marathon: March 25 (~3 months)
TARC spring classic 50k: April (~4 months)
Little Miami 1/2 Marathon: August (~8 months)
Air Force Marathon: September (5 days before my due date)
Germantown 50k: September (2 days after my due date) DNF *sad face*
I went into labor two days after the 12 miles of trail I managed to finish of the Germantown 50k. The race director was incredibly relieved when I removed myself from the course at the 12+ mile mark. I sat at the finish line and cheered on the first few finishers, designed a logo for another trail run, and strengthened friendships with some of the other volunteers.
I relied heavily on my pregnancy running belt, my Nathan fuel belt, and the patience of my family.
Now, I'm posting this. I'm not going to set a bunch of goals for continuing to keep it updated. I'm going to just...relax. I have enough other goals in my life that I don't feel the need to add an arbitrary, seemingly useless goal of posting to a blog I haven't told anyone about. We'll see if that helps.
And that is the last post I did for a long time.
It's now mid January and I'm attempting to start back up again. I'm not sure what I hope to accomplish with this, but I know I'd like to just...do it. So, here goes.
Quick overview of pregnancy running:
There were times it was less pleasant than I'd have liked. I had to walk a lot and I was always worried that something was going to be wrong with the baby. I feel more comfortable admitting this now that TJ is here, but I was worried more that people would blame my running than I was that she would be affected. People who know me are aware of my feelings toward babies. I think they are relatively boring, but are a necessary step toward getting to be a mom of a kid. This is becoming a tangent. Note to self: continue the baby rant on another post.
C'mon...focus. I ran a bunch of races while I was pregnant and I mostly loved them. When we moved to Ohio, I joined the local running club and started participating in as many of their races as I could. When I got pregnant, I decided to sign up for the 401k challenge (run 401 kilometers on trails in a year) and attempt to finish it before TJ arrived so we could both get credit for it. Spoiler: we totally made it.
If I run again in the next pregnancy, I'm going to make a much larger deal of it. I'm not usually a big attention seeker, but when I'm pregnant running, I got so much support and encouragement that it made the mild discomfort and the decreased bladder size worth it.
The major races I logged were:
Xenia 1/2 marathon: March 25 (~3 months)
TARC spring classic 50k: April (~4 months)
Little Miami 1/2 Marathon: August (~8 months)
Air Force Marathon: September (5 days before my due date)
Germantown 50k: September (2 days after my due date) DNF *sad face*
I went into labor two days after the 12 miles of trail I managed to finish of the Germantown 50k. The race director was incredibly relieved when I removed myself from the course at the 12+ mile mark. I sat at the finish line and cheered on the first few finishers, designed a logo for another trail run, and strengthened friendships with some of the other volunteers.
I relied heavily on my pregnancy running belt, my Nathan fuel belt, and the patience of my family.
Now, I'm posting this. I'm not going to set a bunch of goals for continuing to keep it updated. I'm going to just...relax. I have enough other goals in my life that I don't feel the need to add an arbitrary, seemingly useless goal of posting to a blog I haven't told anyone about. We'll see if that helps.
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